THE roar which erupted as Andy Murray emerged on to the Centre Court echoed down the ages, a noise which had never been heard at a Wimbledon final before.

It would not have been approved by the same people who once thought that Fred Perry was the wrong kind of champion in 1936.

Perry would have approved of the people’s noise, a full-blooded use of the voice box, a full lungful of desire fuelled by hope.

This was a message to Murray, and to Novak Djokovic, which the Scot relished and returned over the most pulsating 189 minutes. At last, he could stand there and say: “This is my court, my country, my people.”

Gone was the half-hearted, grudging support, a middle England feeling that if only he did not snarl, shout, grimace, and smile a bit more, was more like... well, Tim Henman, it would be easier to accept that he is a stunning player.

We now know he is the best since Perry – after he finally reached the peak of British sport’s highest mountain where the scoreboard read 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.

And on a day when puffs of white cloud were moved on by the turbulent air rising from the 15,500 on the court, he could see where he was headed from the very start.

A long opening rally soon led to three break points for Murray and, although he did not win that game, it had the effect of informing the world No1 and the spectators that this was going to be a different day.

So the explosion of cheering when he fired a backhand down the court to wrong-foot the Serbian and earn a break of service was not relief but expectation. There was not the same tension as in 2012 when he reached his first Wimbledon final only to lose to Roger Federer.

He was calmer, and he had to be for immediately Djokovic wrested the break back at 2-2. Again, such an event did not create the brittle atmosphere of the previous Murray final – at 3-3 Djokovic took a pounding and was broken without gaining a point.

Then came a game which was crucial to the score and to Murray’s mind. He served successive double faults, almost unheard of in his game, and had to face three break points.

Each was fought with a brilliant rearguard action, an ace, a magnificent forehand and he moved on to take the set 6-4 and a standing ovation after exactly an hour.

“The first few games were brutal and it was so hot,” said Murray. “It was like 30 minutes, the first four games, so it was a physically incredibly demanding match.”

Twenty-four minutes later he was broken to a groan and Djokovic had that familiar strut at 4-1. Not for long, on his next service game he had three break points to defend against a relentless Murray, and a double fault off the Djokovic racket gave the break back.

Andy Murray had mind game to match Novak Djokovic

It was like 30 minutes, the first four games, so it was a physically incredibly demanding match

Andy Murray

A crucial break came in the 11th game which got even the implacable Ivan Lendl out of his seat and four minutes later the set was nailed at 7-5. Murray has lost his last three matches against Djokovic since beating him in the US Open final despite taking the opening set.

Now he was two sets up – new territory. He broke the man he has known since they were 12 in the opening game of the third but then lost his serve twice.

Murray dug deep to create the 10th break of serve, hardly a surprising number for these two are the best returners in the game. The question was who might take the 11th break?

A tired forehand into the net, the big break and now Murray stepped forward to serve for the match.

“Murray, Murray, Murray,” boomed the crowd as never before.

It was emotional, it was lump-in the-throat stuff and as the clock ticked over at three hours, with the Scot at 40-0, tears of joy welled all around. But no. Djokovic suddenly pulled it back, first to deuce then taking the advantage, holding back Murray’s destiny.

But a couple more brilliant shots from Murray and finally a sad backhand into the net from Djokovic and a nine-minute final game made 77 years disappear as a volcanic eruption shook all of SW19.

What was he thinking as he stood on the verge of tennis history, how could he hold the racket?

“I was thinking, honestly, where I was going to serve my first serve,” was the sensible answer

“Often in games when you’re serving for matches, you know the first point of the game can be crucial. So I was thinking exactly where I was going to serve.

“I won the first three points, and it was the hardest game ever. Mentally, that last game will be the toughest game I’ll play in my career.”

As a boy he had said he wanted to win Wimbledon but as his name went on to the golden trophy, Murray admitted: “No, I didn’t always feel it was going to happen.

“It’s incredibly difficult to win these events. I don’t think that’s that well understood sometimes.

“It takes so much hard work, mental toughness to win these sort of tournaments.”